I successfully made lamp as a map object, with textures and all working.

Now, I follow the same procedure after modeling a guitar, and it seems fine until I export it as md3, where it messes itself up bigtime.

For example, after importing to Milkshape, it looks like this:

After exporting to md3 and loading into map, it appears like this:

What I did with the lamp (which worked): Modeled and UVW unwrapped in 3ds max, exported OBJ - 3D Exploration, simply exported as .3ds - Gmax Tempest, exported without changing anything as .md3 - Milkshape, making a control file for the md3 and exporting it again, and loading it successfully into the map.

What happens with guitar: I repeat the same process, but after exporting this guitar from Tempest, it deforms itself and looks horrid, the same way. What I've also tried: Exporting from 3DS max to OBJ, importing OBJ into Milkshape and exporting as MD3. But after the export, it becomes the same way. So, it's always after an MD3 export it deforms.

The model consists of only one part, named "guitar". I don't know what causes it. The tuning rods on the guitar aren't geometrically attached and welded with vertices on the guitar head, they hang just outside of the guitar, but they're still part of the same model. Other than that, I don't see what should be different than my successful lamp. Hmmpf!

After experimenting some more, I find that this happens even with the most simple and useless shapes...

What I made:

What I got:

I used Lines to draw the model, convert it to editable poly, shell it, extrude it to give it width, UVW unwrapped it just for the test, and exported to OBJ, imported with milkshape and exported as MD3 and got that. Same result when going via 3D exploration and Tempest. The guitar model was also made with Lines and then editable poly.
However, the lamp was made only using primitive 3DS max shapes, like Cylinder, and editing that. If that helps figuring out!

Depending on your max version you should be able to export a .md3 straight from max...i would try that and see what happens. I still have Max 7 and exporting to .md3 works fine for hilt models, i'd assume map objects would turn out ok.

Just a hunch, but check your model sizes, just import something from the game and try to match the scale.

Ooooooh thanks a lot! Much easier. Also to get it properly textured, I have to do: Export from 3DS max to .md3 (used the one on your site), import md3 in Milkshape, generate quake III control file, then export from Milkshape again to make it export the md3 with the information put in the control file. Which is fine. I'm glad it for some reason works to export from Milkshape when the input was md3 from max, and not OBJ. (Just typing all this for future googlers with the same problem).